No one is pierced in this passage -- and John does not "fit" Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 -- it misquotes it.
Not "him" (aka Jesus) but "me" (G-d). Also, the one who is stabbed is not the messiah. This is not a messianic prophecy -- although it is a prophecy about the messianic age. The prophet Z'charyah / Zechariah is speaking of the glory that awaits the Jewish people in the messianic age. The Jews were subject to the Romans in Jesus' time -- they were treated horribly (estimates are 50,000 -- 200,000 Jews were crucified by the Romans) -- so this chapter does not fit Jesus at all. Who is the one who is stabbed? The sages have two thoughts: one is that it is a great warrior who is killed in battle (moshiach ben yosef) -- a man who is alive at the same time as the messiah. See Succah (52a). Others opine that the prophet is speaking of all those who will be slain in this final battle. The people will turn to G-d and they will mourn greatly -- as one would over a firstborn son. Jesus was not a warrior. He did not die in battle. He did not live at the time of the restoration of Jerusalem -- in the beginning of the true messianic age. The correct translation of Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 is: ""v'hibbitu élai / and they shall look to Me" and "ét asher-daqaru / because of him who they thrust through" "They" (the people) will look to Me (G-d) about him (this is the one stabbed) thrust through. You have to know who is speaking, and who is watching and who is being stabbed! The "Me" and "him" do not both apply to G-d. Long story short, the Christian's desired translation of something along the lines of "to me, whom they pierced" is inaccurate. It incorrectly translates the Hebrew to convey that the "Me" (G-d) and the "him" are one in the same. Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 says "I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplications. They will look toward Me (G-d) because of those (plural) whom they have stabbed." This is followed up by another clear indication that the desired Christian mistranslation is incorrect: וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו, כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל-הַיָּחִיד וְהָמֵר עָלָיו כְּהָמֵר עַל-הַבְּכוֹר v'safdu 'alav k'mispad 'al hayyahid v'hamar 'alav k'hamar 'al ha-b'chor and they shall mourn over him (as opposed to "Me") as one mourns over an only son, and be embittered over him (as opposed to "Me") as one is embittered over a firstborn son Read the entire chapter of Zechariah and the meaning becomes clear -- proof texts only work when one sentence or even a partial sentence is lifted out of time and space. A pertinent mistranslation is והביטו אלי את אשר־דקרו as "they will look upon me whom they have stabbed." Yet the Hebrew has G-d saying that that “they” [the Jews] “will gaze towards Me” [in astonishment] “because of” [even one person] “whom they” [the enemies] “have stabbed” etc. G-d isn't stabbed -- someone has been stabbed and the people look to G-d in shock because of the one who was stabbed. . . The verb דקר means to stab, not “to pierce”. AND this happens in the end times -- not 2000 years ago. The prophet has said that the non-Jewish nations will lay siege to Y'rushalayim / Jerusalem -- and this did not happen in Jesus' lifetime. Ergo this prophecy does not "fit" Jesus. The word in question here is "את אשר / et-asher." Missionaries will say that can mean that et asher can mean "whom" and mistranslate the verse as "They will look upon me whom they have stabbed." The Hebrew "את אשר / et-asher" is pretty common in the T'nach (bible). This isn't surprising since it can mean (depending on context) "whom," "which," "that which" and so on -- and it is found146 times in the bible. Take a look a Shmuel Alef / 1 Samuel 30:23, a verse which contains the words "את אשר / et-asher." See if Christians translate as "whom" in that verse -- or if the Christian translations choose to translate "את אשר / et-asher" as "because of / concerning / regarding him [or them]." "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the L-RD has given us." 1 Samuel 30:23, NIV translation. "No, my brothers! Don't be selfish with what the L-RD has given us. " 1 Samuel 30:23, NLT translation. The ESV, NASB, Christian Standard Bible also have "with what." The King James has "with that." None of them translate it as "whom." The key to knowing what the translated word should be is "context." But did you notice something when you look at the Hebrew of Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 ? It doesn't actually say "את אשר / et asher." It says את אשר־דקרו / et asher-daqaru. The words אשר־דקרו / asher-daqaru are hyphenated. Let's examine the three words.
Zechariah is talking of the future (it still hasn't happened) when the nations of the world will be gathered against Jerusalem to destroy it (Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:3 ). On that day, G-d Himself will defend Jerusalem and destroy all of its enemies (Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:4 - 9). G-d will pour out a spirit of grace and supplication toward the Jews. Grace is requested from G-d and supplication are directed to G-d. Now, did Jesus defend Jerusalem? Nope of course not. He was never a ruler. Never a soldier. He died at the hands of the Roman soldiers (if he ever lived at all and if the story of his murder by Romans in the GT is at all close to the truth). After G-d does this, the Jewish nation to look towards G-d concerning those Jews (or possibly Moshiach ben Yosef who is a soldier who dies in battle). Again -- did Jesus defeat the Romans? No. Were the Jews victorious? No. So Jesus did not fulfill this prophecy -- it does not apply to him.
1 Comment
Uche B
7/8/2018 11:50:17 am
Another great one Sophiee. More grease to your elbows. Can't wait to have you get to the last claim and hopefully compile all of them in one pdf file. Would really be a helpful reference material.
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